Materials distribution



Jan. 25, 1966 A. 1'. JONES MATERIALS DISTRIBUTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJan. 22, 1965 I NVENTOR.

Jan. 25, 1966 A. T. JONES MATERIALS DISTRIBUTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN'TOR.

Filed Jan. 22, 1963 Jan. 25, 1966 A. 'r. JONES 3,231,112

MATERIALS DISTRIBUTION Filed Jan. 22, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VENTOR. MJ

1966 A. T. JONES 3,231,112

MATERIALS DISTRIBUTION Filed Jan. 22, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1N VENTOR.am J agzmfm 15 United States Patent 3,231,112 MATERIALS DISTRIBUTIONAddis T. Jones, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Thomas Hoist Company,Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Jan. 22, 1963, Ser. No.253,171 11 Claims. (Cl. 21495) The present invention relates to thedistribution or handling of materials, particularly fluent materials.The invention more specifically is concerned with the construction ofmultiple story buildings from concrete and the handling of distributionof fluent concrete to facilitate construction.

In the construction of multiple story buildings, it has beenconventional to utilize extensible towers made up of a plurality ofinterfitted and crossbraced pipes or tubes, the towers being erected inpace with building construction and conventionally forming at least oneelevator shaft within which an elevator is located for carryingconstruction workers and materials to the level of construction. Whenerecting buildings of reinforced poured concrete, it is conventional toerect a two-shaft tower, one shaft for the conventional elevator andanother for an elevatable concrete supply hopper, whereby fluentconcrete may conveniently be supplied to the level of construction.

To distribute the concrete over the construction area, it has been thegeneral practice of the industry to engage a large number of laborers,each with a wheelbarrow to wheel the concrete a barrow at a time fromthe supply hopper to the area where it is required.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved materialsdistribution system overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art,meeting the present-day standards of the industry and affording highproduction rates at low cost with minimum personnel.

It is particularly an object of the invention to provide improvedmaterials distribution apparatus for use in combination with aconventional two-shaft extensible construction tower and comprising anelongate boom mounted at one end on the tower and projecting generallyhorizontally out over the construction area, the boom being elevatableon the tower in pace with the building construction and at each mountingpoint being swingable in a horizontal are over the construction area,hoppers on the boom for carrying concrete from the tower out to anylocation along the length of the boom, and means for filling saidhoppers at high speed from the elevatable concrete supply hoppercomprising part of the tower.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, to be described hereinafter,the boom is 90 feet long, is swingable in an arc of about 200 degreesand has a load capacity of about 2500 pounds, the complete apparatushaving a production rate in excess of 50 cubic yards of concrete perhour. The apparatus is adapted to discharge concrete at any locationdesired over a generally semicircular area of 90 foot radius; or statedin terms of a rectangle, at any location over an area of about 63 /2feet wide and about 127 feet long.

To support a boom of the described character on a conventional two-shaftconstruction tower is a particular accomplishment of the presentinvention. Such towers are comprised simply of relatively small diameterpipes assembled and bolted together to define six upright legs, three atthe front face and three at the rear face of the tower, the uprightsbeing interconnected by bolted in place cross and diagonal braces andthe tower being anchored by cables and by bracing into the building asthe building is erected. The customary maximum loading exteriorly of thetower is about 33,000 foot pounds, e.g., a boom 22 feet long havingmaximum load capacity of 1500 pounds. In the preferred embodiment of thepres- 3 ,23 1,1 12 Patented Jan. 25, 1966 ent invention, the boom isfeet long and has a load capacity of 2500 pounds thereby producing aloading of 225,000 foot pounds, almost seven times the maximumpermissible loading according to the prior art.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for safelyloading extensible construction towers to the magnitude above indicated,characterized by boom mounting frame structures effective to distributethe load equally on the three uprights at the front face of the tower.

It is particularly an object of the invention to provide aload-distributing frame from a two-shaft extensible construction towercomprising an outer frame of a width generally equal to the width of thefront face of the tower, means for mounting said outer frame to thethree front uprights of the tower at locations on the outer framealigned respectively with the uprights, an inner frame of abouttwothirds the width of the outer frame centered on said outer frame andsecured thereto at its side margins, and load-supporting means supportedcentrally on said inner frame, said inner frame distributing the loadfrom said supporting means to said outer frame at such locations on theouter frame that each of the three uprights of the tower carriesone-third of the load. Consequently, no upright is required to carry adisproportionate share of the load and the load is spread uniformly overthe front of the tower, whereby the tower is capable of sustainingsignificant loads.

Another object of the invention is to provide on said outer frame threesets of guide assemblies for guiding the frame for vertical movement onthe tower and for de-tachably mounting the outer frame to the tower atselected positions thereon.

An additional object of the invention is to provide two of saidload-distributing frames on the tower, one immediately above theconstruction area for pivotally support ing (centrally of its innerframe) the inner end of the boom at the desired elevation, and the otheradjacent the top of the tower and having cable or like support meansextending from the center of its inner frame to the outer end portionsof the boom for supporting the outer end of the boom at the desiredelevation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of twoload-distributing frames as aforesaid including hoisting mechanismextending between the two frame structunes for elevating the lower framestructure on the tower as construction progresses.

Still further objects of the invention include a tower construction anda frame construction facilitating vertical adjustment of the framestructures on the tower; means minimizing the frequency of adjustment ofthe frame structures on the tower; means for supplying concrete or othermaterials at a rapid rate to two delivery means on the boom forsubstantially continuous supply of materials to the job; meansfacilitating adjustment of the length of travel of the delivery meansalong the boom; and an economical and easily operated constructionsatisfying the demands of the .industry in terms of equipment cost, costof operation and performance.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent in the following detailed description.

Now, in order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the manner ofmaking and using my improved materials distributing apparatus andprocess, I shall describe, in connection with the accompanying drawings,a preferred embodiment of my apparatus and the preferred manners ofmaking and using the same.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of materials-distributing apparatusconstructed in accordance with the present invention, the view showingthe apparatus as employed in construction of a multiple story building;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the apparatus showingthe inner end of the boom, the boom-supporting frame and the concretesupply means;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus showing particularly themeans from which the outer end of the boom is suspended;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation of the preferred embodiment of theload-distributing frame of the invention, the view being takensubstantially on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the concrete supply means, the view beingtaken substantially on line 55 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the boom taken substantially online 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the tower, the lower loaddistributing frame and the adjustable clamp and guide means for saidframe, the View being taken substantially on line 77 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary vertical section of one upright leg of thetower showing my improved construction therefore; and

FIGURE 9 is a schematic diagram of a control for the two deliveryhoppers.

Referring to FIGURE 1, I have shown my apparatus in use in theconstruction of a multiple story building including poured concretecolumns, wall sections and floors. The building is shown as constructedto the tenth floor level, and it may in the environment illustrated beextended to a fourteen story building. The apparatus of the inventionconsists essentially of a knockdown and assemble, extensibleconstruction tower 22 disposed adjacent the center of the long side ofthe building, a pair of vertically spaced load-supporting frames 24 and26 mounted on the front face, i.e., the building side, of the tower, aboom 28 supported at its inner end on the lower frame 24 and having itsouter end suspended by a cable sling 30 from the upper frame 26, and aconcrete delivery system indicated generally at 32.

The tower 22 is essentially of the conventional construction well-knownto any one who has witnessed construction of larger buildings, the samebeing formed of pipes or tubes suitably bolted together. The tower is oftwo-shaft construction, comprising six upright legs 34, three at thefront face thereof and three at the rear face thereof, each comprised ofa plurality of superimposed pipes each of a length equal approximatelyto the distance between the floors of the building. Aligned pairs of thefront and rear uprights 34 are interconnected by criss-crossed pipe ortubular braces 36, as are adjacent pairs of the uprights at the frontand rear faces of the tower, whereby to define within the confines ofthe tower a pair of elevator shafts 38 and 40 (FIGURE 3). The shaft 38is used for the conventional man and material elevator (not shown) andthe shaft 40 contains an elevatable concrete supply hopper to bedescribed hereinafter, both elevators being operated from ground levelby the conventional hoist mechanism utilized in the art.

According to the present invention, I provide a spe cial constructionfor at least the front uprights of the tower, which construction is bestshown in FIGURES 7 and 8. Each upright 34 is comprised of a plurality ofsuperimposed pipes 41, each provided at one end thereof with a tubularplug 42 secured within the one pipe and projecting beyond the endthereof. Anchored in the plug internally within the one pipe is a stud43 which projects rearwardly through the wall of the pipe to providemounting means at the rear of the front face of the tower for thecross-braces 36. The projecting end of the plug 42 is adapted fortelescopic reception thereon of the opposite end of an identical pipeand includes in this portion threaded bosses 44 disposed at right anglesto the stud 43 for reception of a fastener 45 for securing to the pipesthe fore and aft cross-bracing members 36. This structural arrangementprovides a pipe assembly wherein the front and inner side surfaces ofthe outboard uprights and the front surface of the center upright areunobstructed, whereby said surfaces define slides or guides for theframes 24 and 26.

The tower may initially be constructed to its desired final height, orit may be constructed in stages during building construction. When thetower is initially erected, one or more (and preferably three) cables 46are stretched from the top rear of the tower downwardly at a rearwardinclination and anchored in an embedmerit 47 thereby to place the rearlegs or uprights in compression and prevent forward tilting of thetower. When the building reaches about fifty feet, a first tie-in 48 ismade to the building, the tie-in restraining the tower against movementrelative to the building. As shown, this tie-in projects rearwardlybeyond the tower and forms a guide for the guy cable or cables 46, afterwhich the cables are removed from the embedment and anchored to thetower adjacent its base for purposes of stability. The cable remains inplace during the remaining period of use of the tower and the tower isfurther braced into the building at approximately each additional fiftyfeet of construction, as indicated by the tie-in 49 in FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURES 4 and 7, the lower load distributing frame 24 isillustrated in its preferred embodiment as comprising a rectangularouter frame 50 having spaced parallel side bars and a plurality ofspaced parallel horizontal bars extending between and secured to saidside bars, the width of the outer frame 50 being substantially equal tothe width of the front face of the tower. At its rearward face, inalignment with the respective tower uprights, the outer frame 50 carriesthree sets of clamps 51 by which it is secured to the three frontuprights of the tower. Centered on the outer frame is an inner frame 52of essentially the same construction but only twothirds as wide as theouter frame. The inner frame is secured solely at its vertical side bars53 to the horizontal bars of the outer frame, the bars 53 being rigidlysecured to the horizontal bars of the outer frame 50 and being disposedequal distances inwardly from the side bars of the outer frame. Theinner frame 52 at its vertical center line provides a mount for a loadsupporting member 54, in the form preferably of a vertical mast to bedescribed in detail hereinafter.

Due to the frame structure described, a load supported on the member 54is divided and carried in equal parts laterally outward by the innerframe to the two side bars 53 thereof. Each of these bars in turntransmits onehalf of the load to a point on the outer frame 50 locatedinwardly from the respective outboard upright 34 of the tower by adistance equal to one-third the spacing between adjacent front uprightsof the tower. Consequently, two-thirds of one-half of the load istransmitted by each end portion of the outer frame to the adjacentoutboard upright of the tower, and one-third of each onehalf of the loadis transmitted by the outer frame to the center upright of the tower,whereby the load is sustained in equal increments (one-third, one-thirdand one-third) by the three uprights of the tower and distributeduniformly across the front face of the tower.

The clamps 51 for detachably securing the outer frame 50 to the towerare preferably each comprised, as shown in FIGURE 7, of the guide part55 rigidly secured to the outer frame 50 in alignment with a respectivetower upright 34 and a clamp part 56 comprised of a pair of sectionshingedly connected together, as indicated at 57, which sections areadapted to be bolted or otherwise connected to the guide part 55 inencircling relation to the respective upright 34 in the spaces betweencrossbrace connections, thereby securely but detachably to mount theouter frame on the uprights. The guide parts 55 of the outboard clampseach present an arcuate guide surface somewhat in excess of degreesarcuate extent, which surface slidably engages the unobstructed frontand inner side surfaces of the respective upright. The center guide part55 may suitably comprise an arcuate guide surface engaging theunobstructed front surface of the center upright 34, and the same ifdesired may be mounted on a screw-jack 58 to accommodate retraction ofthe same when the frame is being elevated. The clamp parts 56 are eachof an arcuate extent to complete the circle initiated by said guidesurfaces of said guide parts, and the two parts have complementaryradial flanges at their ends facilitating the bolting together of theparts.

The-re are preferably six clamps on the outer frame 50, two engagingeach of the uprights. When it is desired to elevate the frame on thetower, as will be de scribed in greater detail hereinafter, the clampparts 56 are removed, and if desired the center guides may be retracted.In this condition, there are at least four guide parts engaging thefront and inner side surfaces of the outboard uprights 34 adjacent thefour corners of the frame 50, whereby the frame is retained againstlateral movement relative to the tower and is guided on said uprightsfor upward and downward sliding movement relative to the tower.

The upper load supporting frame 26 is constructed on the same principlesas the frame 24, but is suitably of considerably less height and mass.To afford economy of construction, the upper frame 26 may consist simplyof a beam 60 comprising an outer frame, the beam traversing the frontface of the tower and carrying three clamps 61 the same as clamps 51 forsecuring the beam to the three front uprights of the tower. Projectingforwardly and upwardly from this beam is an inner frame means consistingof a pair of diagonal struts 62 which fixedly engage the beam 60 atlocations corresponding to the points of engagement of the inner frameside bars 52 with the outer frame 50. If desired, the struts may alsoproject downwardly and rearwardly .to the outboard front uprights 34. Attheir apex, the diagonal struts 62 merge to define a load support 64,which may suitably comprise a pin for attachment of the cable sling 30,or a pulley for guidable reception of the boom sling. Further to sustainthe sling 30, and thus the outer end of the boom 28, a pair of diagonalstruts 65 (an inner frame means) preferably extend from the apex of thestruts 62 downwardly and rearwardly to a rear beam 66 (an outer framemeans) which is secured to the three rear uprights of the tower, thestruts 65 being secured to the beam 66 at the same location relativethereto as described with respect to the inner and outer frame means ofthe frame structures 24 and 26.

The frame 26 and the frame structure 65-66 are preferably mounted at thetop of the tower, and the frame 24 is adjustably mounted on theintermediate portion of the tower at a level immediately above theconstruction area. To eifect elevation of the lower frame 24 asconstruction proceeds, the lower frame carries adjacent its side marginsa pair of cable winches 67, the two winches respectively winding thereona pair of cables 68 each of which extends from the respective winchupwardly over a guide sheave 69 mounted adjacent the respective sidemargins of the beam 60 and then back downwardly to the lower frame 50.The winches (which are normally locked) and the two cables thus suspendthe lower frame from the upper frame when the clamp parts 56 of theclamps 51 are removed. Also, a winch is suitably provided on the tower,or on the upper frame 26, or on the boom 28, to take-up on the cablesling 30 as the frame 24 is being elevated. By simultaneous operation ofthe described winches, and the guiding influence of the clamp parts 55of the lower frame on the tower uprights, the lower frame and the boommay conveniently be raised on the tower as construction of the buildingproceeds.

To minimize the number of elevating movements of the lower frame, Iprefer to provide an arrangement whereby the boom may work successivelyon two floor levels from only one adjusted position of the lower frame.

To this end, the lower frame is of a height equal approximately to twobays of the tower, thus two floors of the building, and carries a loadsupporting vertical mast of a height somewhat in excess of one floorheight. Slidably mounted on the mast is a load support or boom carriage70 to which the boom is pivotally connected at 71. The carriagecomprises a generally cubical framework including adjacent its upper enda support collar 72 slidably mounted on the mast and adjacent its lowerend a support pad or collar 73 slidably engaging the mast. To reciprocate the carriage 70 on the mast, an elevator screw 74 is mounted onthe mast at the rearward side thereof, the screw being driven by a motor75 and passing through a follower nut 76 on the carriage whereby toraise and lower the carriage, and thus the boom, on the mast. Bymounting the lower frame 24 on the tower with the lower end of the mastslightly above the level to be Worked on, and moving the carriage toadjacent the lower end of the mast, the boom will be appropriatelydisposed to the work on the one floor. When work on the one floor iscompleted, the screw 74 and the boom sling winch may be operated toraise the boom to adjacent the upper end of the mast, whereby the mastis disposed to work on the next upward level. Consequently, the frame 24need be elevated only once for each two levels of construction, the samebeing elevated two levels upon each adjustment thereof.

In addition to the vertical adjustments described, the boom is intendedto be swingable in the horizontal plane so as to distribute materialsover the full area of the building. To this end, the mast 54 isrotatable relative to the frame 24, the mast being journalled adjacentits ends in bearings 77 which are supported by brackets on the centralarea of the inner frame 52 in forwardly spaced relation to the frame. Amotor '78 is provided at the lower end of the mast for rotating themast, the carriage 70. and the boom as a unit about the vertical axis ofthe mast. Due to forward projection of the mast relative to the frame,the boom is swingable through a horizontal arc of about 200 degrees,thereby to encompass the building, even if it should include projectingwings on the same side of the building as the tower.

The boom 28, which in the present embodiment of the invention is ninetyfeet long, is shown in FIGURES 2 and 6 as comprising a triangularframework including an upper central beam 80, a pair of lower side beams81 and truss or brace members extending between the beams. The lowerside beams 81 are unobstructed at their upper and outer side surfacesthereby to define a pair of tracks or rails for mounting a pair oftraveling delivery hoppers 82. The hoppers 82 are substantiallyidentical and generally of a construction conventional in the art. Eachhopper comprises an upwardly open box having an inclined bottom wall.Merging with the bottom wall is a valved discharge spout 83 which isinclined downwardly and inwardly toward the vertical plane of the axisof the boom, whereby both buckets discharge substantially in said planeand thus at the same location for a given setting of bucket travel.Adjacent the outer side thereof, each bucket is equipped with anupwardly extending trolley 84 having wheels 85 engaging the respectivetrack 81, whereby each bucket is suspended below and slidably movablealong the full length of a respective track.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 to 8, the boom 28,as accommodated by its pivot 71, is disposed at a slight downwardinclination as it extends outwardly from the tower whereby the twohoppers or buckets 82 tend to gravitate outwardly along the tracks 81.The two hoppers are interconnected by a cable 86 of a lengthsubstantially equal to the length of the boom, the cable extendingrearwardly from one hopper or bucket 82 to adjacent the inner end of theboom, around a horizontal guide sheave 87 journalled on the inner endportion of the boom, and then outwardly to the other bucket 82.Consequently, when one bucket is at the outer end of the boom the othernecessarily is at the inner end of the boom, and the two buckets arecompelled to move solely in opposite directions. When one bucket isloaded with concrete, it will gravitate to the outer end of the boomwhere it will discharge its load of concrete. At this time, the otherhopper is at the inner end of the boom receiving a load of concrete, sothat when it is full, and the first hopper is empty, the loaded hopperwill automatically move outwardly on the boom and the now empty hopperwill automatically return to the loading station at the inner end of theboom. Accordingly, the loading on the boom is restricted essentially toone hopper, and a substantially constant flow of concrete is assured.

As compared to a crane or any other single delivery apparatus, thedescribed arrangement provides several times the delivery speed, sincehorizontal placement by the two buckets is substantially continuous, andhorizontal placement is not interrupted by the necessity for verticaltravel to bring fresh supply of concrete up to the construction level.Accordingly, for a given rate of pour, the apparatus of the inventionneed have only a fraction of the load capacity of a single deliverysystem, thereby permitting a lighter weight structure and one that canmore readily be supported on the construction tower 22. Also, thesubstantially constant delivery of small batches of concrete assuressteadier work for the crew, and facilitates the performance of more workby a smaller crew.

The valved discharge spout 83 of each hopper may be operated manually bya control handle 88, and also preferably includes an automatic operator,such as a toggle valve opening assembly indicated generally at 89, whichis connected to the cable 86 and actuated automatically at the outer endof bucket travel by virtue of the force exerted on the cable due to themomentum of the bucket. The cable passes over guide sheaves forming partof the toggle mechanism 89 and is anchored on the side of the bucket,preferably on cable storage or shortening means 90.

The means 90 may take a variety of forms, such for example as a two poststorage rack about which the cable maye be reaved in a figure eight.While both buckets may be provided with such means, provision of onesuch means on one bucket is entirely adequate. By virtue of the storagemeans, bucket or hopper travel may at any time be shortened by lockingone bucket at the inner end of the boom, sliding the other (empty)bucket rearwardly on the boom to slack off the cable, and winding theslack cable onto the storage means; or may be lengthened if the travelis less than the full length of the boom, simply by paying cable off thestorage means. In either case, both buckets are automatically adjustedto the same length of travel due to their interconnection by and commonreliance on a single length of cable. Accordingly, the travel of thebuckets may be adjusted at the will of the operator to any length alongthe boom, i.e., from the inner end of the boom to any point along thelength of the boom.

The means for adjusting hopper travel and the point of hopper dischargemay be manually operated in accordance with the foregoing, or may bepower operated. An arrangement is illustrated in FIGURE 9, which may beutilized not only for controlling or adjusting hopper travel, but alsoto provide power operating means for the hoppers. As indicated in theschematic diagram, a pair of cable drums 91 and 92 are provided, eachcarrying a cable 86a and 86b of a length approximately equal to thelength of the boom and connected respectively to the two hoppers 82. Thetwo drums are normally interconnected for conjoint operation by theshaft of one drum, an electric clutch 93, a stub shaft 94, a reversinggear pair 95 and the shaft of the other drum, the arrangement being suchthat the two drums can rotate co-njointly only in opposite directions,thereby to pay out one cable while reeling in the other so astoaccomplish the same results as the single cable 86 previouslydescribed. An electric motor 96 is geared to the drum 91 for driving thesame, the motor being controllable for operation in reverse directionsby a pair of reversing switches 97 connected in parallel. The clutch 93,and a companion normally released electric brake 98 for the stub shaft94 and the drum 92, are controlled by a pair of push button switches 99which are disposed adjacent respective ones of the switches 97 to formtherewith a pair of control panels as indicated at 100. One of thepanels is preferably disposed adjacent the outer end of the boom foroperation by the pouring boss, and the other is disposed at an operatorscontrol station adjacent the inner end of the boom, whereby either mancan control the apparatus.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 9, the motor, the clutch and thebrake are normally energized, the clutch in such case being engaged, thebrake released and the motor selectively operable in reverse directionspositively to drive the buckets. By utilizing a cable or rope (likecable 86) reaved over a sheave (similar to sheave 87) mounted at theouter end of the boom, the boom can be disposed at either an upward ordownward inclination or in horizontal position, and the motor willpositively move the buckets 82 alternately in and out on the boom. Withthe boom inclined downwardly, as is preferred, the motor 76 will haul inthe empty bucket and control the rate of outward travel of the loadedbucket or hopper. In either embodiment of the invention, an overspeedgovernor may be incorporated in the means interconnecting the hoppers 82to prevent excessive speed of hopper travel.

To adjust the length of hopper travel, and the point of concretedischarge, either the operator at the inner end of the boom or thepouring boss at the outer end of the boom may depress a push button 99when the cable 86b is wound on the drum 92 and the hopper connected tothe cable 86b is at the inner end of the boom. Opening of either pushbutton 99 causes de-energization of the clutch 93 and brake 98, wherebythe brake engages to retain the drum 92 and the associated hopperagainst movement and the clutch releases to accommodate independentrotation of the drum 91. By appropriate manipulation of either reversingswitch 97, the effective length of cable 86a may be increased ordecreased as desired, whereupon the push button 99 may be released toagain cause the two drums to be positively interconnected for conjointrotation in opposite directions. As will be apparent, the drum 92 willpay out only as much cable as is being wound onto the drum 91, and viceversa, whereby the two drums are properly adjusted at all times so thatboth discharge material at the selected location.

To facilitate filling of the two hoppers 82 at a speed commensurate withthe speed of hopper travel, I provide the improved concrete supply means32 depicted in FIG- URES l, 2 and 5. As shown, each hopper 82, when atthe inner end of the boom, is filled extremely rapidly from a respectiveone of a pair of bottom dump measuring hoppers 102 mounted on the boomcarriage 70 at a location immediately above the inner end position ofthe respective traveling hopper 82. The two hoppers 102 aresubstantially identical and are each an open top receptacle of acapacity equal to that of the respective traveling hopper. At its lowerend, each measuring hopper 102 has a large valved outlet 103- forrapidly dumping the full contents of the hopper 102 into the hopper 82.The valved outlets 103 are preferably opened by a manual control systemcomprising levers 104 leading upwardly from the valves 103 to anoperators station 105 mounted on the carriage 70 immediately above theinner end of the boom and forwardly of the hoppers 102.

The two measuring hoppers 102 are selectively or alternatively filledvia an inclined shuttle funnel 106 which is pivotally mounted on theupper end of the mast 54 for conjoint rotation with the mast and theboom. Additionally, the funnel is rotatable relative to the boom, as bya power drive mechanism 107, alternately to align its outlet verticallyabove the two hoppers 102. Concrete is supplied to the hoppers 102 viathe funnel 106 from a storage or holding hopper 108 which is supportedon the inner frame 52 of the lower load distributing frame 24. Thehopper 108 has a valved outlet 109 at its lower end which is centeredabove the mast 54 and thus continuously aligned with the open upper endof the funnel 106. The valve 109, which may suitably be solenoidoperated, is under the control of the operator at station 105; theoperator observing the measuring hoppers 102 and the emptying andfilling thereof, thereby properly to fill and dump each measuring hopperat the proper time.

The holding hopper 108 angles laterally upward from its outlet 109 todefine an open upper end or inlet that is aligned with the tower shaft40. Preferably, a funnel 110, also aligned with the shaft 40, isprovided above the inlet of the hopper 108, the funnel being mounted onthe frame 24 and having a large inlet disposed closely adjacent but notprojecting into the tower so as not to obstruct vertical adjustment ofthe frame 24 on the tower.

Mounted within the tower shaft 40 is an elevatable supply hopper 112having a downwardly and forwardly inclined discharge chute 113 whichprojects adjacent the front face of the tower and is provided with adischarge valve 114. In use, the hopper 112 travels up and down in theshaft 40 to receive supplies of concrete at the base of the tower and tocarry the same upwardly to a level slightly above the funnel 110. Atthis level, the valve 114 may be opened, whereupon concrete isdischarged from the hopper, the chute 113 due to its inclination causingthe concrete to discharge into the funnel 110 and thence into theholding hopper 108. The hoppers 108 and 112 are, of course, each of asufiicient capacity to afford an adequate supply of concrete for thehoppers 82 during the period of time that is required to lower, fill andagain raise the hopper 112 to working level.

All of the described concrete loading operations may be carried out by asingle operator at the station 105, who may be equipped with suitablecontrols for power operation of all of the operable components; i.e.,the valves 103, 109 and 114, the shuttle funnel 106, the means 90 forshortening and lengthening the effective length of the cable 86, themast rotating motor 78, the carriage operating motor 75, the boom slingwinch and the frame winches 67. For the convenience of adjusting thepoint of discharge of the hoppers 82, the pouring boss is provided withtwo controls at the outer end of the boom, but he is an essential man onany concrete job and thus cannot be deemed an operator of the apparatusof the invention. The only other person involved is the man operatingthe hoist to raise and lower the supply hopper 112, but he too is aperson essential to the job independently of the apparatus of theinvention. Thus, the apparatus of the invention for all practicalpurposes requires only a single operator.

In use of the described embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, inthe construction for example of a rectangular building, the building maybe as large as 63 feet wide and 127 feet long and fall within the areaof swing of the boom 28. Additionally, the building may have bays orwings also falling within said area. For such a builiding, the tower isdisposed at the center of the long side of the building so that the boomwill extend to the opposite corners of the building. Then by propermanipulation of the boom rotating motor 70 and the cable lengthening andshortening means 90, the buckets or hoppers 82 may be adjusted to dumpconcrete at any location over the full area of the building. This isequally true for smaller buildings. For larger buildings, the apparatusmay be employed in conjunction with conventional practices in the art,or the boom may be disposed at a higher level than normal and aninclined concrete chute may be extended from the outer end of the boom28 to the area being worked upon, or more than one of my devices may beused. Thus, the present invention provides an extremely practical andeflicient materials distributing system.

In view of the foregoing description, it is submitted that all of theobjects and advantages of the invention have been shown herein to beattained in a convenient, economical and practical manner.

While I have shown and described what I regard to be the preferredembodiment of my invention and the preferred manners of making and usingthe same, it will be appreciated that changes, modifications andalterations may be made therein by persons reasonably skilled in the artwithout departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by theappended claims.

I claim:

1. Materials distributing apparatus for atwo-shaft extensibleconstruction tower having three equally spaced uprights at one facethereof, comprising a load distributing frame on the tower, said framecomprising an outer frame of a width generally equal to the one face ofthe tower, three sets of mounting means on said outer frame spaced equaldistances apart transversely of said outer frame for engagementrespectively with the three uprights of the tower for mounting saidouter frame to the tower, and inner frame of about two-thirds the widthof the outer frame centered on said outer frame, said inner frame beingsecured solely at its side-margins to said outer frame equal distancesinwardly from the sides of the outer frame, a boom mounted at its innerend centrally on said inner frame, a pair of guide tracks on said boomextending from adjacent the inner end to adjacent the outer end thereof,a hopper slidably mounted on each of said tracks for movement fromadjacent the inner end to adjacent the outer end of said boom, and meansinterconnecting said hoppers for conjoint movement solely in oppositedirections.

2. Materials distributing apparatus for a two-shaft extensibleconstruction tower having three equally spaced uprights at one facethereof, comprising a pair of vertically spaced load distributing frameson the tower, each frame comprising an outer frame of a width generallyequal to the one face of the tower, three sets of mounting means on saidouter frame spaced equal distances apart transversely of said outerframe for engagement respectively with the three uprights of the towerfor mounting said outer frame to the tower, an inner frame of abouttwo-thirds the width of the outer frame centered on said outer frame,said inner frame being secured solely at its side margins to said outerframe equal distances inwardly from the sides of the outer frame, a loadsupporting mast mounted in upright position centrally on the inner frameof the lower one of said load distributing frames, a load supportingmember mounted on said mast for vertical and rotary movement relative tothe tower, a boom pivotally mounted at its inner end on said loadsupporting member and projecting outwardly from the tower, a second mastmounted centrally on the inner frame on the upper one of said loaddistributing frames, a supporting cable extending from said second mastdownwardly to said boom for supporting the outer end portions of theboom, said boom including a pair of guide tracks extending from adjacentthe inner end to adjacent the outer end of the boom, a hopper slidablymounted on each of said tracks for movement from adjacent the inner endto adjacent the outer end of said boom, and means interconnecting saidhoppers for conjoint movement solely in opposite directions, saidinterconnecting means including cable of a length approximately equal tothe length of said boom to accommodate disposition of one hopperadjacent one end of the boom when the other hopper is adjacent the otherend of the boom.

3. Materials distributing apparatus for a two-shaft extensibleconstruction tower having three equally spaced uprights at one facethereof, comprising a pair of vertically spaced load distributing frameson the tower, each frame comprising an outer frame of a width generallyequal to the one face of the tower, means on said outer frame slidablyguiding the same for vertical adjustment on the tower and for mountingthe same to the three uprights of the tower at locations thereon alignedrespectively with the uprights, an inner frame of about twothirds of thewidth of the outer frame centered on said outer frame, said inner framebeing secured solely at its side margins to said outer frame equaldistances inwardly from the sides of the outer frame, the upper one ofsaid load distributing frames being mounted adjacent the top of thetower and mounting cable guide sheaves adjacent its sides, winch meanson the lower one of said load distributing frames, cables extending fromsaid winch means over said guide sheaves and back to the loaddistributing frame, said winch means being operable to raise and lowersaid load distributing frame on the tower, a load supporting rotary mastjournalled in upright position centrally on the inner frame of the lowerload distributing frame, a load supporting member slidably mounted onsaid mast for vertical and rotary movement relative to the tower, a boompivotally mounted at its inner end on said load supporting member andprojecting outwardly from the tower at a slight downward inclination, asecond mast mounted centrally on the inner frame of the upper loaddistributing frame, a supporting cable extending from said second mastdownwardly to said boom for supporting the outer end portions of theboom, means for adjusting the length of said supporting cable to varythe vertical disposition of the outer end portions of the boom, saidboom including a pair of guide tracks extending from adjacent the innerend to adjacent the outer end of the boom, a hoppe-r slidab1y mounted oneach of said tracks for movement from adjacent the inner end to adjacentthe outer end of said boom, means interconnecting said hoppers forconjoint movement solely in opposite directions, said interconnectingmeans including cable of a length approximately equal to the length ofsaid boom to accommodate disposition of one hopper adjacent one end ofthe boom when the other hopper is adjacent the other end of the boom,and means accommodating shortening of the effective length of the lattercable.

4. Materials distributing apparatus for a two-shaft construction towerhaving three equally spaced uprights at one face thereof, comprising aload distributing frame on the tower, said frame comprising an outerframe of a width generally equal to the one face of the tower, threesets of mounting means on said outer frame spaced equal distances aparttransversely of said outer frame, for attachment respectively to thethree uprights of the tower for mounting said outer frame to the tower,an inner frame of about twothirds the width of the outer frame centeredon said outer frame, said inner frame being secured solely at its sidemargins to said outer frame equal distances inwardly from the sides ofthe outer frame, a boom adjustably mounted at its inner end centrally onsaid inner frame and extending outwardly from the tower at a slightdownward inclination, a pair of guide tracks on said boom extending fromadjacent the inner end to adjacent the outer end thereof, a hopperslidably mounted on each of said tracks for movement from adjacent theinner end to adjacent the outer end of said boom, means interconnectingsaid hoppers for conjoint movement sole- -ly in opposite directions,said hoppers being of about the same capacity and each having a valvedoutlet, a pair of measuring hoppers of about the same capacity as thehoppers on said boom each having a valved outlet aligned with arespective one of the hoppers on said boom when the latter are disposedadjacent the inner end of the boom, a shuttle funnel pivotally mountedcentrally of said inner frame above the inner end of said boom havingoutlet means selectively alignable with said measuring hoppers, aholding hopper mounted on said inner frame above said shuttle funnel andhaving a valved outlet aligned with said shuttle funnel for selectivedischarge of materials into said funnel, said holding hopper extendingupwardly and laterally from its said outlet and having an inlet alignedwith one shaft of the tower, a second funnel above the inlet of saidholding hopper having an inlet aligned with said one shaft of the towerand disposed substantially at said one face of the tower, and anelevatable materials hopper in said one shaft of the tower having outletmeans for discharging a supply of materials into said second funnel whenelevated thereto.

5. Materials distributing apparatus for a two-shaft extensibleconstruction tower having three equally spaced uprights at one facethereof, comprising a pair of vertically spaced load distributing frameson the tower, each frame comprising an outer frame of a width generallyequal to the one face of the tower, means on said outer frame slidablyguiding the same for vertical adjustment on the tower and for mountingthe same to the three uprights of the tower at locations thereon alignedrespectively with the uprights, an inner frame of about two-thirds thewidth of the outer frame centered on said outer frame, said inner framebeing secured solely at its side margins to said outer frame equaldistances inwardly from the sides of the outer frame, the upper one ofsaid load distributing frames being mounted adjacent the top of thetower and mounting cable guide sheaves adjacent its sides, winch meanson the lower one of said load distributing frames, cables extending fromsaid winch means over said guide sheaves and back to the lower loaddistributing frame, said winch means being operable to raise and lowersaid lower load distributing frame on the tower, a load supportingrotary mast journalled in upright position centrally on the inner frameof the lower load distributing frame, a load supporting member slidablymounted on said mast for vertical and rotary movement relative to thetower, a boom pivotally mounted at its inner end on said load supportingmember and projecting outwardly from the tower at a slight downwardinclination, a second mast mounted centrally on the inner frame of theupper load distributing frame, a support ing cable extending from saidsecond mast downwardly to said boom for supporting the outer endportions of the boom, means for adjusting the length of said supportingcable to vary the vertical disposition of the outer end portions of theboom, said boom including a pair of guide tracks extending from adjacentthe inner end to adjacent the outer end of the boom, a hopper slidablymounted on each of said tracks for movement from adjacent the inner toadjacent the outer end of said boom, means interconnecting said hopperfor conjoint movement solely in opposite directions, saidinterconnecting means including cable of a length approximately equal tothe length of said boom to accommodate disposition of one hopperadjacent one end of the boom when the other hopper is adjacent the otherend of the boom, said hoppers being of substantially the same capacityand each having a valved outlet, a pair of measuring hoppers on theinner end of said boom of substantially the same capacity as the hopperson said boom and each having a valved outlet aligned with a respectiveone of the hoppers on said boom when the latter are disposed adjacentthe inner end of the boom, a shuttle funnel pivotally mounted on theupper end portion of said rotary mast and having outlet meansselectively aligna'ble with said measuring hoppers, a holding hoppermounted on said inner frame above said shuttle funnel and having avalved outlet aligned with said shuttle funnel for selective dischargeof materials into said funnel, said holding hopper extending upwardlyand laterally from its said outlet and having an inlet aligned with oneshaft of the tower, at second funnel above the inlet of said holdinghopper having an inlet: aligned with said one shaft of the tower anddisposed substantially at said one face of the tower, and an elevatablematerials hopper in said one shaft of the tower having outlet means fordischarging a supply of materials into said second funnel when elevatedthereto,

6. A load distributing frame for a two-shaft extensible constructiontower having three equally spaced uprights at one face thereof,comprising an outer frame of a width generally equal to the one face ofthe tower, three sets of mounting means on said outer frame spaced equaldistances apart transversely of said outer frame for engagementrespectively with the three uprights at said one face of the tower formounting said outer frame to said one face of the tower, an inner frameof about two-thirds the width of the outer frame centered on said outerframe, said inner frame being secured solely at its side margins to saidouter frame equal distances inwardly from the sides of the outer frame,and load supporting means mounted centrally on said inner frame.

7. A load distributing frame for a two-shaft extensible constructiontower having three equally spaced uprights at one face thereof,comprising an outer frame of a width generally equal to said one face ofthe tower, three sets of mounting means on said outer frame spaced equaldistances apart transversely of said outer frame for engagementrespectively with the three uprights at said one face of the tower forsecuring said outer frame to said one face of the tower, an inner frameof about two-thirds the width of the outer frame centered on said outerframe, said inner frame being secured solely at its side margins to saidouter frame equal distances inwardly from the sides of the outer frame,a load supporting rotary mas-t journalled in upright position centrallyon said inner frame, and a load supporting member slidably mounted onsaid mast for vertical and rotary movement relative to the tower.

8. A load distributing frame for a two-shaft extensible constructiontower having three equally spaced uprights at one face thereof,comprising an outer frame of a width generally equal to the one face ofthe tower, three sets of mounting means on said outer frame spaced equaldistances apart transversely of said outer frame for engagementrespectively with the three uprights at said one face of the tower formounting said outer frame to said one face of the tower, said mountingmeans each comprising a guide part secured to said outer frame and aclamp part detachably engageable with said guide part, said guide parts,upon detachment of said clamp parts, being slidably engageable with therespective uprights at said one face of the tower for guiding verticalmovement of said outer frame on said tower, said clamp parts beingconnectable with said guide parts for attaching the guide parts to theuprights, an inner frame of about two-thirds the width of the outerframe centered on said outer frame, said inner frame being securedsolely at its side margins to said outer frame, and load supportingmeans mounted centrally on said inner frame.

9. Materials distributing apparatus for a two-shaft extensibleconstruction tower having three equally spaced uprights at one facethereof, comprising a load distributing frame mounted to said one faceof the tower, said load distributing frame comprising an outer frame ofa width generally equal to the one face of the tower, three sets ofmounting means on said outer frame spaced equal distances aparttransversely of said outer frame for engagement respectively with thethree uprights at said one face of the tower for mounting said outerframe to said one face of the tower, an inner frame of about twothirdsthe width of the outer frame centered on the said outer frame, saidinner frame being secured solely at its side margins to said outer frameequal distances inwardly from the sides of the outer frame, a boommounted at its inner end centrally on said inner frame, a pair ofmaterials carrying means on said boom, and means for loading materialsalternately to aid carrying means.

10. Materials distributing apparatus for a two-shaft extensibleconstruction tower having three equally spaced uprights at one facethereof, comprising a pair of vertically spaced load distributing framesmounted on said one face of the tower, at least the lower loaddistributing frame comprising an outer frame of a width generally equalto the one face of the tower, three sets of mounting means on said outerframe spaced equal distances apart transversely of said outer frame forengagement respectively with the three uprights at said one face of thetower for mounting said outer frame to said one face of the tower, aninner frame of about two-thirds the width of the outer frame centered onsaid outer frame, said inner frame being secured solely at its sidemargins to said outer frame equal distances inwardly from the sides ofthe outer frame, the upper one of said load distributing frames beingmounted adjacent the top of the tower, cables extending from one loaddistributing frame to the other load distributing frame, winch means foradjusting the length of said cables and operable to raise and lower thelower load distributing frame along said one face of the tower, saidmounting means including means for slidably guiding the lower loaddistributing frame on the uprights at said one face of the lower towerduring raising and lowering movement of said lower load distributingframe.

11. Materials distributing apparatus for a two-shaft extensibleconstruction tower having three equally spaced uprights at one facethereof, comprising a pair of vertically spaced load distributing frameson said one face of the tower, each of said load distributing framescomprising an outer frame of a width generally equal to the one face ofthe tower, three sets of mounting means on said outer frame spaced equaldistances apart transversely of said outer frame for engagementrespectively with the uprights at said one face of the tower formounting said outer frame to said one face of the tower, an inner frameof about two-thirds the width of the outer frame centered on said outerframe, said inner frame being secured solely at its side margins to saidouter frame equal distances inwardly from the sides of the outer frame,an elongate boom mounted at its inner end centrally on the inner frameof the lower load distributing frame, the upper one of said loaddistributing frames being mounted adjacent the top of the tower, asupporting cable extending from the center of the inner frame of theupper load distributing frame downwardly to said boom for supporting theouter end portions of the boom, cables extending from one loaddistributing frame to the other load distributing frame, winch means foradjusting the length of said cables to raise and lower the lower loaddistributing frame and said boom along said one face of the tower, themounting means on the outer frame of the lower load distributing frameincluding means for slidably guilding said lower load distributing frameon the uprights at said one face of the tower for vertical adjustmenttherealong.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 414,516 11/18 89Gehrke 1872 X 749,198 1/1904 Johnson 21284 1,039,213 9/1912 Taylor.1,459,123 6/1923 Walther. 1,596,462 8/1926 Seitz 187-2 1,693,107 11/1928Campbell 18913 1,773,030 8/1930 Connely 18919 2,200,274 5/ 1940 Hayes.2,461,762 2/1949 ODonnell 189l3 2,587,531 2/1952 Saxe 2142 X 2,857,02610/1958 Jones 187-2 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, MORRIS TE'MIN, Examiners.

10. MATERIALS DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS FOR A TWO-SHAFT EXTENSIBLECONSTRUCTION TOWER HAVING THREE EQUALLY SPACED UPRIGHTS AT ONE FACETHEREOF, COMPRISING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED LOAD DISTRIBUTING FRAMESMOUNTED ON SAID ONE FACE OF THE TOWER, AT LEAST THE LOWER LOADDISTRIBUTING FRAME COMPRISING AN OUTER FRAME OF A WIDTH GENERALLY EQUALTO THE ONE FACE OF THE TOWER, THREE SETS OF MOUNTING MEANS ON SAID OUTERFRAME SPACED EQUAL DISTANCES APART TRANSVERSELY OF SAID OUTER FRAME FORENGAGEMENT RESPECTIVELY WITH THE THREE UPRIGHTS AT SAID ONE FACE OF THETOWER FOR MOUNTING SAID OUTER FRAME TO SAID ONE FACE OF THE TOWER, ANINNER FRAME OF ABOUT TWO-THIRDS THE WIDTH OF THE OUTER FRAME CENTERED ONSAID OUTER FRAME, SAID INNER FRAME BEING SECURED SOLELY AT ITS SIDEMARGINS TO SAID OUTER FRAME EQUAL DISTANCE INWARDLY FROM THE SIDES OFTHE OUTER FRAME, THE UPPER ONE OF SAID LOAD DISTRIBUTING FRAMES BEINGMOUNTED ADJACENT THE TOP OF THE TOWER, CABLES EXTENDING FROM ONE LOADDISTRIBUTING FRAME TO THE OTHER LOAD DISTRIBUTING FRAME, WHICH MEANS FORADJUSTING THE LENGTH OF SAID CABLES AND OPERABLE TO RAISE AND LOWER THELOWER LOAD DISTRIBUTING FRAME ALONG SAID ONE